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'Usher Raymond IV' (born October 14, 1978), best known as 'Usher', is an American R&B and pop singer and actor who rose to fame in the mid-late 1990s. To date, he has sold approximately 30 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards.^[1] Usher is also a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers National Basketball Association franchise. He also has his own record label, US Records.

Contents

Early life

Music career

1994-1995: ''Usher'' (Debut album)

1997-1998: ''My Way''

2001-2002: ''8701''

2004-2005: ''Confessions''

2006-present: Current career activity

Personal life

Discography

Albums

Filmography

References

External links

Early life

Usher was born to Usher Terry Raymond IV and Jonetta (O'Neal) Patton in Dallas, Texas, but spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a child, he joined his local church choir where he discovered his ability to sing. As early as junior high school, Usher successfully entered local talent shows imitating his idol Michael Jackson. As a pre-teen Usher was a member of a boy band, although his mother, (who was managing his career) later withdrew him from the group to concentrate on his solo work. Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the belief that the city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent. While in Atlanta, Usher attended Haynes Bridge Middle School and the Performing Arts Magnet North Springs High School, and participated in show choir.

Music career

At age thirteen, Raymond competed on ''Star Search'', where they were spotted by an A&R representative from LaFace Records, who arranged an audition for them with L.A. Reid. A contract with the company soon followed. Usher was introduced on “Call Me A Mack,” a song he recorded for the soundtrack album to the John Singleton film, ''Poetic Justice''.

1994-1995: ''Usher'' (Debut album)

On August 30, 1994, LaFace released Usher’s self-titled debut album. Sean “P Diddy” Combs produced several of the tracks and co-executive produced the album. ''Usher'' peaked at number twenty-five on the R&B Albums chart and was accompanied by three singles: “Can U Get Wit It,” “Think Of You,” and “The Many Ways.” Though the album garnered Usher some attention with urban music listeners, it was not a runaway hit and went virtually unnoticed by pop audiences; selling approximately 50,000 copies in America (and 100,000 abroad). The quasi-adult themes in ''Usher'' were, meanwhile, questioned by some critics due to the young age of the artist. Usher himself later admitted that he was not fully comfortable with the direction of the album.
After graduating from high school, Usher continued to hone his skills as a stage performer and laid the groundwork for his second album. He also appeared on “Let's Straighten It Out,” a 1995 duet with fellow Atlanta teen recording artist Monica; and on 1996's "Dreamin’", the first single from ''Rhythm of the Games'', LaFace's Olympic Games benefit album.

1997-1998: ''My Way''

Usher developed a friendship with Jermaine Dupri, with whom he co-wrote and produced several tracks for his second album, ''My Way'', released on September 16, 1997. The lead-off single, “You Make Me Wanna” was serviced to radio that summer and hit number one in its second week out—the same week that the album was released. “You Make Me Wanna” stayed on top of the R&B/Hip-Hop track charts for a total of 11 weeks (the longest-charting R&B hit in more than 3 years) and at #2 on the Pop charts for 7 weeks (second only to Elton John’s “Candle In the Wind.”) The single remained on the R&B chart for an unprecedented 71 weeks and became Usher's first platinum single. The albums second single, “Nice & Slow,” was released in November, and in January 1998 peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart for two weeks, as well as #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart for eight weeks. The following summer, the album's eponymous single title track peaked #2 pop/#4 R&B.
In the closing months of 1997, Usher embarked on a series of tour engagements including a spot on Puffy's ''No Way Out'' tour, dates with Mary J. Blige, and the opening spot on Janet Jackson’s ''The Velvet Rope'' tour. ''My Way'' was certified 6x platinum in the United States. Usher received his first Grammy Award nomination as ''Best Male R&B Vocal Performance'' for "You Make Me Wanna," which was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award as ‘Best Male R&B/Soul Single.’
Usher made his acting debut on the UPN television series ''Moesha'', which resulted in a recurring role on the series and subsequently his first film role in 1998's ''The Faculty''. Usher’s extracurricular activities outside of the recording studio gathered momentum over the following year as he was cast in the daytime drama ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' and was seen in the family series ''Promised Land''. He completed two more films, ''She's All That'', and his first starring role in ''Light It Up''. He also appeared in the Disney TV movie "Geppetto" with Drew Carey. Usher also became involved community activities: he served as national spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation's “Get Big On Safety” campaign, and appeared on NBC’s ''NBA Inside Stuff''. He also participated in the NBA "Stay In School" program and performed at several of the franchise's jamborees.
Raymond’s first concert album, ''Live'' was released in 1999—which featured appearances by Lil' Kim, Jagged Edge, Trey Lorenz, Shanice, Twista and Manuel Seal, and was RIAA-certified Gold.

2001-2002: ''8701''

Usher’s third studio album, originally titled ''All About U'', was slated to be released in early 2001. The first single, “Pop Ya Collar” (co-written and produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs), was released in late 2000 and became a #2 hit in the UK—but underperformed in America. The album was subsequently pushed back and retooled after select tracks were later leaked to the radio and Internet, and garnered a largely cold public response.
After having revised the album, it was renamed ''8701'' (named for the years of his career at that point [19'87'-20'01'], and for its release date of August 7, 2001, or '8'/'7'/'01'). The first two singles “U Remind Me” and “U Got It Bad” each topped the U.S. Hot 100 singles chart for four and six weeks respectively in the summer and fall. In early 2002, "U Don't Have to Call," also went top five pop. The albums final single, “U-Turn” was released outside of America, and became a top twenty hit in Australia and the U.K.. ''8701'' was certified 4x platinum, selling more than seven million copies worldwide.
In February 2002, Usher won a Grammy for ‘Best Male R&B Vocal Performance’ for “U Remind Me.” The next year, he won the same award for “U Don't Have to Call,” making Usher the only artist aside from Luther Vandross, more than a decade before, and Stevie Wonder (in the 1970s) to win this award consecutively.
In summer 2002, Usher contributed vocals to P. Diddy's “I Need a Girl, Part I.” The year closed out with a trio of TV series appearances, all in November, on ''The Twilight Zone'', ''7th Heaven'', ''Moesha'' , and ''American Dreams'' (in which Usher portrayed Marvin Gaye).

2004-2005: ''Confessions''

''Confessions'', Usher’s fourth studio album, was released on March 23, 2004—just as its first single, “Yeah!” was in its sixth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and fifth week on top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. The album's 1.1 million unit first week sales was not only the highest first week numbers ever scanned by a male R&B artist in Soundscan’s 13-year history (breaking R. Kelly's record of 540k for ''TP-2.com'' back in 2000).
The album’s second and third singles: “Burn” and “Confessions Part II” also topped Billboard's Hot 100 singles charts, the former for eight weeks. Usher became the third lead artist in pop music history (but the first solo artist) to have three singles inside the Hot 100's top 10 since The Beatles in 1964, and the Bee Gees in 1978. In September 2004, “My Boo,” a duet with singer Alicia Keys (which was included on a ''Special Edition'', released a half year after the original version), also peaked at number one and gave him a total of twenty-eight weeks on top of the U.S. charts that year. In December, the album's final single “Caught Up” peaked at number eight on the Hot 100. ''Confessions'' became the most successful album of the year; certified diamond in America, topping the world charts for several weeks and eventually selling more than 15 million copies all over the globe. [2] After “Caught Up” Raymond released another single “Redlight” which is also shown on the ''Special Edition'' album. [^[2]]
Usher was recognized with numerous awards, including two MTV Awards for “Best Male R&B Artist,” three World Music Awards (“Best Male Artist,” “Best Male Pop Artist” and “Best R&B Artist“), two Source Hip-Hop Music Awards (“Male R&B Artist of the Year” and “R&B/Rap Collaboration of the Year,” a Nordic Music Award, three Radio Music Awards, four American Music Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards and two more MTV Europe Music Awards. At the 47th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2005, Usher won three awards, including: “R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals” (for “My Boo” with Alicia Keys), “Rap/Sung Collaboration” (for “Yeah!”) and “Contemporary R&B Album” (for ''Confessions'').
In spring 2005, Usher scored a #3 Hot 100 hit as a featured vocalist on Lil' Jon's “Lovers and Friends.” In November 2005, Usher starred as a disc jockey named Darrell in the Lions Gate film, ''In the Mix''.

2006-present: Current career activity

On August 22, 2006, Usher took over the role of Billy Flynn in the long-running Broadway musical ''Chicago''. Critical response to his overall performance were mixed. While his singing and dancing received more positive reviews; his acting, however, received negative notices.
Usher is currently recording his fifth studio album. The album is due for release in November, as verified by Usher himself during a recent interview and in the “Same Girl,” video he did with fellow R&B singer R. Kelly. In June, an album was leaked onto the internet, claiming to be the singer's new album; it is however just a bootleg compilation of his previously unrealeased material. In 2007, Usher also collaborated with R. Kelly on the track “Same Girl,” for Kelly’s album, Double Up.^[3] Recently, Pussycat Dolls members Melody Thornton and Nicole Scherzinger have acknowledged that the group recorded a song with Usher for their forthcoming album.

Personal life

Usher is the godson of performer Ben Vereen.
In June 2007, Usher announced that he and his fiancee Tameka Foster were expecting a baby in the fall of 2007. This would be the first child for Usher, and the fourth for the recently divorced Foster. The coupled planned to be wed on July 28, 2007, at record executive LA Reid's home in the Hamptons, but the wedding was abruptly canceled. Finally on August 3, 2007, Usher and Foster were married in a quiet ceremony in his lawyers office in Atlanta. ^[4] In September 2007, Usher has put up his Atlanta's Country Club of the South gated community up for sale for $1.95 million.^[5]

Discography

Main articles: Usher discography

Albums

★ 1994: ''Usher''

★ 1997: ''My Way''

★ 1999: ''Live''

★ 2001: ''8701''

★ 2004: ''Confessions''

★ 2007: ''Usher's fifth studio album''

Filmography

★ 2005: ''In the Mix''

★ 2002: ''Light it Up''

★ 1999: ''She's All That''

★ 1998: ''The Faculty''

References

1. [1] "Grammy Award Winners"
2. http://youtube.com/watch?v=vg08Ao4tOF0
3. '
4. Usher marries Foster at last
5. Usher puts Atlanta home up for sale

External links

★ Official Site

★ Usherforever.com

★ Usher at MTV.com

★ Usher at VH1.com

★ Usher at RollingStone.com